Crossing-signal.



T. A. GRIST.

CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1909.

1,016,919. Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

AT FIQE.

THOMAS A. GRIST, OF KNOX, INDIANA.

CROSSING-SIGNAL.

Application filed November 22, 1909.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs A. GRIsT, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Knox, in the county ofStarke and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Crossing-Signals, of which the following, when taken inconnection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, isa full and complete description, sufficient to enable those skilled inthe art to which it pertains to understand, make, and use the same.

This invention relates to train signals operated by electricity.

The object of the invention is to obtain a signal for railroads, bymeans of which when a car is approaching a crossing, or runs onto agiven piece of track called ablock of track, a signal will be given intime to prevent persons or teams from attempting to cross the track onwhich said car is approaching, and to prevent another car from runningonto said block.

A further object of the invention is to obtain a signal which will fromthe time it commences so to do, continue to operate until theapproaching car has arrived at and one over the crossing.

A further object of the invention is to obtain a signal which can beused for a single track railroad on which cars travel in bothdirections; and a signal which will be operated by a car going in eitherdirection, whether said car be following a preceding car over a crossingor block or whether it be going in the opposite direction.

This device is particularly usable on tracks where the motive power iselectricity, as in such case the currents on the several circuits of thedevice may be obtained from the circuit by means of which the cars arepropelled.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2,viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing an elevation ofthe movable members form ing elements of the device. Fig. 2 is avertical section on line 4- 1 of Fig. 1, viewed in the directionindicated by the arrows, showing an elevation of the movable members ofthe device, viewed at an angle of 90 degrees from the view of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is an elevation of a ratchet wheel forming an element of themovable mechanism of the device. Fig. 4- is an elevation of therotatable terminals and brushes thereto forming ele- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 529,386.

ments of the movable mechanism, of the device.

A reference letter applied to designate a given part is used to indicatesuch part throughout the several figures of the drawing, wherever thesame appears.

The feed wire B, trolley D, wire 6, shoe E, third rail F, wires Gr, G,ground I, and generator J of an electric railway and trolley car areshown by diagrammatic view on a reduced scale on Fig. 1 of the drawings.

H is a casing.

K is an armature of the solenoid coil H. Armature K is mounted inbearings L and L so as to be longitudinallyv movable in a verticalplane. In Figs. 1 and 2 armature K is illustrated as on its journeyupward with the current flowing through the coil H and at substantiallyone half of the total movement of the armature K completed. The armatureK is provided with the cross bar 70 and with the slot in.

M is a shaft rotatably mounted in bearings m. Shaft M extends throughthe slot is of the armature K.

N, N, are oppositely placed ratchet wheels rigidly secured to shaft M.

On one end of the cross bar 70 of armature K the pawl O is pivotallymounted on pin 0 and yieldingly held in engagement with the teeth ofratchet N by spring 0. At the opposite end of cross bar 70 is placed thepin P, which pin when the armature has reached its full upward stroke,is in contact with one of the teeth of theratchet N. The pin P, Fig. 1,is indicated by broken lines P in its extreme upward position, and incontact with a tooth (also indicated by broken lines), of ratchet N. Thelowest position of the pin P is indicated by broken lines P" in Fig. 1.

By the foregoing arrangement of ratchet wheels N, N, (rigidly attachedto shaft M) pawl O and pin P on cross bar is of armature K, when thecircuit of which the coil H is an element is closed (and armature K issuddenly drawn upward to the limit of its upward movement), the pawl 0moves the shaft M (in the direction indicated by the arrow Q, Fig. 1),that portion of a revolution which is measured by a ratchet tooth; atwhich time the pin P is in contact with tooth of ratchet wheel N to stopfurther rotation of said ratchet wheels, and pawl O is in position toprevent backward movement of said ratchet wheels and hence the saidratchet wheels and shaft are firmly locked against movement in eitherdirection.

R is a detent resting on the teeth of ratchet N to prevent backwardmovement to ratchet wheels N when the armature K and pawl O aredescending to their initial position. The upward movement of thearmature K is shown as limited by a stop, as by pin 1." at the lower endof the armature K.

S is a gear wheel rigidly secured to shaft M to turn therewith, and S isa gear wheel rigidly secured to shaft T to turn therewith. Shaft T isrotatably mounted in bearings t, t, with the teeth of gear wheel Smeshing with the teeth of gear wheel S.

U, U, are rotatable terminals rigidly mounted on shaft T. Terminals U,U, are insulated from shaft T by fiber u, or other insulating material.The terminals U comprise the parts it, u, of electric conductingmaterial, and the parts it, u, of insulating material. The parts u areelectrically connected to the terminal U by rods u/Il, III- V is anelectric brush in electrical contact with the periphery of the terminalU and V, V are like brushes in contact with the periphery of terminal U.As is illustrated in Fig. A of the drawings the several electricconducting parts u and the insulating parts or pieces to of the terminalU are so arranged relative to each other and to the brushes V, V, thatwhen one of said brushes is in contact with electric conducting materialthe other of said brushes is in contact with non-electric material.

W, W, are wires to the circuit of which the signals X, X, are elements,and W, W are also wires which alternately form elements in said circuit.

A casing H is placed on each side of the crossing or each end of theblock and when the brushes V in both of said boxes are at the same timebrought into electric contact -with electric conducting material in theelectric terminals U the wire W forms part of a closed circuit in whichthe wire W and signal X are elements, and said signal will be given, andwhen the brushes V in both casings H are in contact with electricconducting material u the wire W will in like manner form part of aclosed circuit in which the wire lV and signals X are elements and saidsignal will be given. When a car is between the third rails which makeand break the circuits of the device, the circuit in which the signalsare placed will be closed and one or the other of the wires W, or W willbe elements in said closed circuit, and as said car passes from betweensaid third rail said wire W or W will be cut out and the circuit broken.When the device is installed the boxes H are adjusted so that when thebrush V in one of said boxes is in contact with electric conductingmaterial u of terminal U the brush V in the other of said boxes is incontact with insulating material it of terminal U. As before stated whenbrush V in a given box is in contact with the electric conductingmaterial on terminal U the brush V in said box is in cont-act withinsulating material in said terminal.

The operation of the device is as follows: A car approaching and comingin contact with the third rail on either side of a crossing (or eitherend of a block) will energize the solenoid coil H which is in the samecircuit with said rail, and draw the armature K upward to turn theratchet wheels N, N, one step forward. The turning of said ratchetwheels will turn gear wheels S, S, sufliciently to move the terminals U,U, around to change brushes V, V, on said terminal U. That is, if theterminal V is in contact with electric conducting material at (as inFig. 4:) and the brush V is in contact with insulating material itbefore the coil H is energized, upon the energizing of said coil andconsequent movement of terminal U, U, it will occur. that after saidmovement the brush V will be in contact with electric conductingmaterial u and the brush V will be in contact with insulating materialit. By this action whichever one of the solenoid coils H is energized acorresponding one of the wires W, W will be thereby placed in a closedcircuit and a signal given. As said car comes in contact with the otherthird rail the energizing of the remaining 7 coil H will break thecircuit and the signal will cease to operate. The device is then inposition to repeat said operation when another car approaches the thirdrails in either direction.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A rotatably mounted shaft, oppositelyplaced ratchet wheels rigidly mounted on the shaft, an electromagnet, anarmature arranged to co-act with said magnet, said armature extendingfrom the magnet to beyond the shaft and provided with a cross bar, a dogmounted on the cross bar adjacent to one end, and an abutment on saidcross bar adjacent to the other end, means to yieldingly hold the dog inengagement with one of said ratchet wheels to turn the shaft adetermined distance in a .given direction when the magnet is energizedand said armature is advanced, said abutment positioned to engage with atooth of the remaining ratchet wheel at the end of said advance movementof the armature and' movable terminals which are arranged to be moved bythe movement of said shaft, and electric brushes arranged to co-act withsaid terminals.

2. A rotatably mounted shaft, oppositely placed ratchet wheels rigidlymounted on the shaft, an electromagnet, an armature arranged to co-actwith said magnet, said armature extending from the magnet to beyond theshaft and provided with a cross bar, a guide arranged to permitlongitudinal movement of the armature therein, a dog mounted on thecross bar adjacent to one end, and an abutment on said cross baradjacent to the other end, means to yieldingly hold the dog inengagement with one of said ratchet wheels to turn the shaft adetermined distance in a given direction when the magnet is energizedand said armature is advanced, said abutment positioned to engage with atooth of the re maining ratchet wheel at the end of said advancemovement of the armature and means to prevent the shaft from turning inthe opposite direction, in combination with an additional shaft, gearwheels on said shafts arranged to intermesh, movable terminals connectedto said additional shaft to be moved thereby, and electric brushesarranged to co-act with said terminals.

THOMAS A. GRIST. In the presence of CHARLES TURNER BROWN, C. A. ADAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

